cat shark
Parascyllium variolatum (Duméril, 1853)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Varied carpetshark (Parascyllium variolatum) in Port Phillip Bay, Victoria.
Rick Stuart-Smith / Reef Life Survey · CC BY 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 320 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The necklace carpetshark (Parascyllium variolatum), also known as the varied carpetshark, is a carpetshark of the family Parascylliidae endemic to the waters off Australia's southern coast between latitudes 37°S and 41°S. It is found near the ocean floor over sand, rock, coral reefs, and kelp and seagrass beds at depths down to 180 m (590 ft). It is almost exclusively seen at night and spends the day hidden in caves or camouflaged on the ocean floor. With a slender, elongated body and a maximum length of only 91.0 cm TL, it is harmless to humans. The tail is long, but difficult to tell apart from the rest of the shark. Its body is grey to brown in color with a broad black collar, from which it gets its name, and white spots along its body. It has small spiracles and nostrils with short barbels, likely used for sensory purposes. It is often mistaken for a species of catshark, despite being more closely related to wobbegongs and nurse sharks. It is a nocturnal predator and feeds mostly on shellfish.
Wikipedia contributors, Necklace carpetshark; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:45:41.965896+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Parascyllium variolatum (Duméril, 1853)
- Name authority
- (Duméril, 1853)
- Common name
- cat shark
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Elasmobranchii
- Order
- Orectolobiformes
- Family
- Parascylliidae
- Genus
- Parascyllium
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumChondrichthyes
- classElasmobranchii
- subclassNeoselachii
- infraclassSelachii
- superorderGaleomorphi
- orderOrectolobiformes Compagno, 1973
- familyParascylliidae Gill, 1862
- genusParascyllium Gill, 1862
- speciesParascyllium variolatum (Duméril, 1853)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Parascyllium. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| cat sharkParascyllium collare Ramsay & Ogilby, 1888 | ParascylliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Parascyllium elongatum Last & Stevens, 2008 | ParascylliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Tasmanian carpet sharkParascyllium ferrugineum McCulloch, 1911 | ParascylliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Parascyllium sparsimaculatum Goto & Last, 2002 | ParascylliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Parascyllium nuchalis McCoy, 1874 McCoy, 1874 | synonym |
| Hemiscyllium variolatum Duméril, 1853 Duméril, 1853 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=282111 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4DBPQ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.